


A French Wine

by VoluntaryBubblehead



Category: Team Fortress 2
Genre: Angst, Comfort, F/M, Fluff, Hurt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-04
Updated: 2014-10-04
Packaged: 2018-02-19 21:51:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,176
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2404160
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VoluntaryBubblehead/pseuds/VoluntaryBubblehead
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You're a new member to the Blu team, and the first few weeks have gone off without a hitch. However, recently Spy's been acting horrible to everyone, especially you. When you decide to figure out why, you end up seeing a new side to the smirking Frenchman.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A French Wine

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fluff as well as my first submission to this site, so any advice (be it grammar, plot, or formatting) would be helpful

The sun outside the Blu base shines brightly, drawing every member of the team outside to either train or relax. Various noises are scattered about the landscape: explosions, shouts, gunfire, typical sounds that your ears had become accustomed to ever since you joined the team several weeks ago. As a newly trained member of the class Sneak, you were one of the few testing out these latest military skills, and it was quickly discovered that you were exceptionally good at your job. Your quick reaction times, stealthy movements, and light-on-your-feet abilities had pushed your team to victory in many missions, and it wasn’t long before you felt like one of the gang, earning the respect of every member. 

“Hand me that wrench, Sneak.” Engineer calls, motioning towards the largest on in his tool box.

“Sure thing! Be right back, Pyro!” You wave a hand at the gas masked man, setting down a clay pigeon and rushing off to where Engineer sits in the open garage.  
Hefting the wrench over to him, you inspect his work, whistling. “Damn, what is this?”

He grins, looking at the metal contraption before him. To you it looks like a cross between a sentry and a robot, six thin metal legs jutting out from a stout body, a periscope type device protruding from the top. Engineer takes the wrench and tightens a couple bolts. “Should end up being a walkin’ sentry.” His southern accent thickens the more excited he gets and you smile.

"Sounds fantastic!”

“It should be. Now stand back, darlin’.” He sticks a hand out, pushing you back as he flips a switch on a remote.

The legs on the sentry shudder a bit before rising, and the periscope turns widely in the socket, reminding you of some kind of horrible spider. “Alright, go get ‘em!” Engineer yells, pointing out at where your teammates are training. 

“Engineer!” You try to chide, but it comes out as a giggle and you clamp a hand over your mouth as the sentry begins to sprint towards Soldier.

“What the hell!” he shouts, hastily shooting off a rocket that misses by a mile.

The sentry retaliates with a barrage of what looks to be rubber bullets, hitting Soldier multiple times in the chest and sending him flying to the ground. Engineer flips the switch again and the sentry freezes, legs and periscope retracting back into the body so that it assumes the shape of a large toolbox. “I’ve been hit!” Soldier screams dramatically, drawing the attention of everyone on base. “It’s been nice knowing you, Men!”

Running out to where he lays, you kneel down, a smile tinting your lips. “Rubber bullets, Soldier.”

You pick one up off the ground, showing it to his widening eyes. “So I’m not dying?”

You shake your head. “Riddled with bruises maybe, but no, you’ll live to fight another day.”

He jumps to his feet, letting out a war cry. “Good job, private!”

Standing, you shake your head, suppressing a laugh as Engineer jogs over to you. “So what do ya think?”

“It’s incredible! You’ve really outdone yourself, Engie!”

“Thanks, darlin’.” You notice a blush tinging the skin under his goggles, but a scoff from behind you makes you turn.

Spy leans against a shed, lit cigarette in his hand. “Just what we need. Another mindless idiot wandering around with a gun.” He gestures out to where Demoman, Scout, and Pyro are, the three men chasing after each other, haphazardly fire bullets and basically making a mess. 

“Now listen here, Spy.” Malice spews from Engineer’s voice as he steps forward, finger pointed at the bemused Spy. “I don’t need some French coward tellin’ me how to do my job, and-”

“Hey, now.” You step between them, a hand on either man’s chest as you look back and forth. “Teammates, remember. Spy,” You turn to the french man. “Stop patronizing everyone. Seriously, we’re all on this team cause we’re good at what we do. This new sentry’s going to make everything easier, so chill out.”

He pauses, his eyes searching your face, before he pulls away, flinging away his cigarette and heading back inside. “What an ass.” You cross your arms over your chest, sticking out your tongue at Spy’s retreating figure. 

“Don’t think too much of it.” Engineer places a hand on your shoulder. “Thanks for stoppin’ me there. I don’t like losin’ my temper.”

“Hey, Sneak!” Scout yells from behind you. “Tell him to quit it!”

You give another small laugh, racing off, hands cupped around your lips as you call out, “Pyro, put the axe down!”

*  
As the sun begins to go down, and the desert outsides cools off, you find yourself exhausted as you stand in the kitchen, crying from laughter as Engineer finishes his story. “And then he just turns around, eyes starin’ straight at my gun, and right before I shoot him, I hear him say, ‘I should have just made you your burger.’”

Howls erupt from the surrounding men, and you clutch at your stomach, having to lean back against the counter for support.“Oh yes,” a voice rises from the crowd as Spy saunters into the kitchen, making his way over to the wine cabinet. “Another side-splitting tale from our local metal man.”

The room quiets considerably, all eyes on the two men as they stare each other down. You can tell Engineer is trying desperately to keep calm, and you quickly decide you should probably intervene again. “What is your problem, Spy?” you ask, causing him to turn with his eyebrows raised.

He chuckles. “I have no problems, Sneak.”

“Oh, shut up.” You stalk forward, hands on your hips. “You are the only member of this team that has ever seemed to have problems, and frankly you’re the only one that I can’t stand.”  
He pulls an unopened bottle from the cabinet. “And should that wound me?”

Your eyes narrow. “Maybe it should. You’re an insensitive jackass. Why do always have to put others down. You’re not better than them.”

He leans towards you, his body locking you against the counter. “Better than most of them. Certainly better than you.”

The poison-esque tone of his voice shocks you, and it actually seems to shock him as his mouth drops open slightly at his own words. You bite your lip, fighting back tears, and you push roughly against him, storming from the kitchen. “Sneak, wait!” you hear, but you ignore them, sprinting down the hall and into your room where you slam the door, locking it.

How dare he say that! What gave him the right to say any of those things? When you’d first arrived on base, though he hadn’t been overly warm to you, he certainly hadn't been so cold. He’d introduced himself, and like the others was eager to see you perform on the battlefield, even congratulating you when you’d succeeded in clinching the victory. 

You pace around your room, hands balled into fists at your sides, trying to remember back to your first week or so. He’d helped with your training, even taught you a few things. When had he’d turned into such a jerk? Well, to be honest, he’d always been quite snarky, but it was only recently that he’d gotten cruel. You can’t pinpoint the moment, but you hesitate when you settled on this new fact. What had happened recently that drove this behavior? Had something happened in his life that’d you missed, that the whole team had missed, for you weren’t the only one noting Spy’s newfound aggressiveness.  
Deciding to get to the bottom of this, you leave your room, your steady walk slowing a bit with each step towards Spy’s room, and all too soon you’re standing outside, one hand raised but refusing to knock. You’d never been in Spy’s room before, and you’re worried that after the attack in the kitchen he would rebuff your attempt to speak with him. Taking a deep breath, you bring your fist up to the wood, but pause when you hear a crash come from inside, followed by a series of french words you’d heard enough times to recognize as swears. “Spy? Are you alright?”

The sounds inside stop. 

“Spy?”

“Leave me alone.” His accent is thicker than usual and his words are just slightly slurred. “Just go away.”

You frown and turn to leave when a low swear echos from the room along with the sound of something large and glass shattering against a wall. “Spy!” Throwing caution to the wind, you burst in, eyes widening at the scene before you.

Spy stands crumpled against an armchair, his suit jacket gone and the sleeves of his white shirt rolled up to his elbows, though a few dark red wine stains litter the front. His mask is slightly askew and he’s breathing hard. On the wall opposite is a large dripping stain, an array of green glass beneath it, the remains of the wine bottle.

You carefully shut the door behind you, but Spy’s eyes stay trained on the growing mess on the floor, watching the drink seep into the carpet. Stepping up to him, you slowly place a hand on his shoulder, and he flinches away, finally seeming to realize you’re there. He tries to back away, but trips on a wine glass, only succeeding in falling to the ground where he freezes again. You’d never seen him so vulnerable, so unsure, and you glance towards the table at the foot of the chair, wincing when you notice a couple empty wine bottles. “Spy, did you drink all of that tonight?”

He actually chuckles, the sound low and sad, and his shoulders twitch at the question. “No, I have not had the time yet.”

You kneel next to him, your anger diminishing more every second of seeing Spy in this distressed state. “Do you get drunk every night?”

“That was the last bottle, so not anymore.”

“Spy, look at me.” When he makes no movement, you cup his face, bringing his gaze up to yours. You only now notice the deep circles under his eyes, the way his lips seemed to sag, the confident spark gone from his eyes. “Why are you doing this to yourself? What happened?”

He pulls away from you, standing on shaky legs as he tries to brush himself off. “Nothing. I am fine.”

He stumbles forward, and your grip his shoulders. “You’re clearly not. Seriously, Spy, what’s wrong? I want to help you.”

“There is nothing you can do.” he mutters.

“Why not? Spy, why can’t I-”

“Because you are the problem!”

You jerk back at his outburst, again feeling the warmth of tears behind your eyes. He reaches one hand out, an apologetic expression taking over his features. “No, I didn’t mean… I just…”

He places the hand against his face, a sigh escaping his lips. You do nothing but stand there, hurt and confused, waiting for him to put his thoughts into words. Eventually, he looks back up at you. “You are the problem, because I cannot get you out of my head. For the last few weeks, every time I saw you, I realized my growing interest in you, but I had no idea how to act upon it. Most women seemed to fall at my feet, though none before you has ever captured my attention like you have.”

His eyes gaze at you hopefully, and you can see the fear in them. This was a version of Spy that’d you thought you’d never see: afraid, worrying, letting his emotions out. He turns back to where the wine drips down the wall. “I began to feel jealous whenever anyone even got close to you, and your friendship with Engineer…”

“Spy, I had no idea.”

He tries a smile. “That was the plan. But my feelings for you refused to go away. And I hoped I could perhaps force them.”

You pause at this revelation. “That’s when you started being mean?”

He nods. “Yes. Though every time I drove you away, I would…” He trailed off, his eyes finding the pile of empty bottles.

He looks so empty, the desperation in his voice increasing with every reveal, and you suddenly wrap your arms around him, holding him tightly against your body. “I don’t want you to feel sad anymore, Spy. Please, let me help you.”

He stiffens at your touch, but after a moment you feel his hands grasp weakly at your back, and the two of you stand in peaceful silence, simply holding each other. “Thank you.” Spy whispers. “Thank you so much.”

You pull back slightly, bringing your face close to his, your mouth just a hair’s length away from his. He closes the distance, and you feel how warm he is, the taste the wine on his lips. It lasts for only a second, but it seems to soften his whole demeanor, and he gives a genuine smile, pulling you back against his chest, resting his chin on your head. “You truly are amazing.”


End file.
